


Growing Up Without You

by MadmanInABucket



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Albino Kankri, Asexual Character, Children, Earth AU, Eventual Highschool AU, Eventual Smut, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Grease(Musical), High-School Theatre, Humanstuck, M/M, Oral Sex, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-15
Updated: 2015-01-23
Packaged: 2018-02-21 07:04:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 11
Words: 14,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2459222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadmanInABucket/pseuds/MadmanInABucket
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cronus and Kankri meet when they're in kindergarten, and become the best of friends. They grow up together, even go through that awkward 'experimenting' phase together. When one of them moves again, their lives are thrown for a loop.</p><p> </p><p>*I will not be working on this for a while, if ever again.*</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. New Beginings

**Author's Note:**

> OTP ALERT. This was inspired from an RP I did with my matesprit, but doesn't follow it exactly.

Cronus had always been a weird kid. He watched too many movies and was obsessed with too many weird things. It wasn’t his fault, though. Cronus was left alone with his younger brother for long periods of time when his dad had to go to work. He didn’t mind, though. Cronus enjoyed the free time.

However, all of that free time was about to come to an end. His dad had been spending more and more time at home, eventually staying home all day. Cronus became worried about why this was happening, but also found it hard to care when he wasn’t the one making their mac and cheese for dinner. Finally, after a week of his father constantly being home, Cronus worked up the nerve to ask him about it. He received a sigh in response before his father spoke.

“I lost my job, Cronus.” The older man sighed. “I’ve been working on finding a new one though, and I’ve landed one. However, we have to move. I didn’t want to tell you because I’m sure you’ll have all of your friends at school to tell that you’re leaving and you’re going to be upset and I didn’t want to do that to you just yet.”

Cronus looked down at the plate of food he’d been eating. A chicken nugget with a bite taken out of it hung from his hand.

“That’s okay, daddy. I don’t have very many friends, anyway. All the kids think I’m weird here. Maybe I’ll meet some really nice kids at the new place!” A small smile made it’s way onto his lips at the idea of actually having someone to sit with at lunch and swing with at recess.

 

The next week, Cronus found himself squished into the back seat of their small family car, along with his brother and all of their possessions. Cronus was filled with nervous energy about the new place they were going to. His little brother was asleep in his car seat, unaware this trip was any different from the ones they always took to the store or to drop Cronus off at school.

After a long drive, Cronus helped his dad unpack the car and take their stuff inside the new house. It wasn’t huge, but it had two floors and a bedroom for each of them. Cronus couldn’t help but smile at the fact that he wouldn’t have to share a room with his annoying little brother anymore.

Once all of their stuff had been unloaded, Cronus carried his little brother in. He got an idea when he saw that the bed for his little brother had been set up already. It was his old bed, so he knew it could hold his weight.

“Eridan, wake up!” He tossed the smaller boy onto the bed. Eridan bounced and made a surprised noise when he opened his eyes, 

“Wha…?”

“No time! Your worst enemy is here! Beware of the tickle monster!” Cronus crawled onto the ned and pinned Eridan beneath him. The younger boy squealed and wriggled around, trying his hardest to get away. Cronus didn’t let him up. Instead, his fingers found Eridan’s sensitive sides.

Loud laughter erupted from Eridan's mouth as he tried everything in his power to get Cronus to stop tickling him, but it was futile. Cronus, being five years old, was much bigger than three-year-old Eridan. Cronus tickled Eridan relentlessly until there tears from how hard they were laughing were dripping down both of their faces.

Cronus hopped off of the bed, dodging the still-flailing limbs with ease. “Haha! That’s what you get for sleeping and not being awake for me to annoy in the car!” He stuck his tongue out at Eridan, who instantly hopped off of the bed and ran after Cronus. The two boys ran downstairs and chased each other from a good half an hour nefore they were both out of breath and Eridan realized the place they’d been chasing each other in was not the one they normally did that in.

“Whoa… Daddy, where are we?”

“We’re in our new house, Eri.” Their father turned from the food he’d been preparing for dinner to look at them. “We’re gonna live here from now on. Do you like it?”

Eridan paused for a moment as he thought. He hadn’t been paying much attention to the fact that it wasn’t their normal house to have a good opinion on it. He figured he needed a better look around before he answered. Eridan took off down the hallways, looking around at everything carefully and making an opinion about each and every little thing he saw. He came back to the kitchen once he’d made an overall assessment.

“Yes. I have own room, too!” He spun around happily.

Their father smiled. “Good.” He turned back to the food, and the brothers took off once again, laughter echoing around the otherwise quiet house.

Cronus chased Eridan back to the youngest boy’s room and sat down on the bed with him. “I get to go to a new school!”

Eridan huffed and crossed his arms. “No fair! I bored at home!” This got a smirk out of Cronus.

“That’s because you’re too little to go to school! Haha!” Cronus squeaked as Eridan pounced on him. They erupted into a flurry of tiny punches that hurt neither of them. They rolled on the bed, both trying to pin each other. Cronus let Eridan win and was pinned under him when their dad came in to tell the dinner was ready. They raced downstairs, pushing and shoving and trying to trip each other so they could get there first.

Their dad served them corndogs, green beans, and french fries. Cronus could tell that the fries and corndogs were taken from a freezer box, but since the green beans were fresh from the store they’d stopped at on the way, he couldn’t complain. He ate everything quickly, eager for desert. When Eridan refused to eat his green beans and their dad wasn’t looking, Cronus ate them for him so they could get their desert.

A bowl of chocolaty heaven was set in front of each of them. Cronus took his time eating his ice cream, savoring it as much as he could. He loved chocolate ice cream. Eridan was the one to scarf down his food and proceeded to wriggle impatiently in his seat until Cronus finished and they were led to the bathroom.

Cronus helped his brother bathe and got himself cleaned up before they dried off. They pulled their pajamas on. Cronus followed Eridan and their father to the younger boy’s room to help tuck Eridan in for the night. Then, they headed back to Cronus’s room. As his dad was tucking the blanket in around his tiny body, he spoke to Cronus.

“You need to get to sleep early. Your first day of kindergarten all over again. I know you only stayed at the old school for a couple months, but these kids have all known each other since their school year started. Just try your best to make some friends, okay?”

Cronus nodded through the yawn that split his face.

“Can I wear my glasses tomorrow?” This got a chuckle out of his father.

“Yes, you can wear your glasses. Just, no wand for you tomorrow. Make sure your magic stays a secret!” He turned the light out and closed the door as he left. Cronus fell asleep quickly, excited to head to school the next day and finally have the chance to make some new friends.

He dreamt of all the boys and girls he would be playing with, as well as the food they would eat at lunch. He couldn’t help but hope that it would be better than his old school. He also hoped his new teachers would be nicer to him. He was hyper, yeah, and didn’t pay attention much, but he did like to learn. He just needed something else to do while he listened, like drawing or coloring or singing.

Cronus woke to the sounds of birds singing beautifully and the smell of bacon cooking downstairs.


	2. First Day Here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! I will most likely update this story once a week. My other story has been set on the back-burner, as I'm near burnt-out with ideas for it. Updates on it will happen every once in a while, but this one will be updated regularly! Thank you so much for the support!

Cronus dashed down stairs. His hair was a wild mess and he had drool dried on the side of his face. When he sat down at the table, his dad looked up in surprise.

“You woke yourself up?”

Cronus nodded, excited and proud of himself. His dad just shrugged and set the plate of food down in front of Cronus. Cronus dove in, scarfing down eggs and bacon and toast before chugging his orange juice. He’d already learned not to brush his teeth before breakfast because his dad always served orange juice or milk, and the minty toothpaste made both of them taste terrible.

Once Crous finished eating, he headed back upstairs to get ready for the day. He picked out his favorite shirt. It was black and had white writing on it beside a white contrast picture of Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter. The next thing he picked out was his favorite pair of jeans. Then, Cronus slipped on some socks(mis-matched of course, who has time to match their socks? Definitely not an excited kindergartener!), and his light-up shoes. They had magic lights in them that blinked whenever he took a step, so obviously he had to have them. The last item to be added to the outfit was his pair of Harry Potter glasses.

Cronus found his brush in a box beside his bed and attempted to fix his hair. He thought he succeeded, but really, the only thing he’d managed to do to his hair was make it frizz up even more than it already was. Cronus went to the bathroom. After a five minute hunting spree, he located his toothbrush and toothpaste. He knew he needed to brush his teeth, even if he didn’t like it. Once he’d finished with that final part of his morning routine, Cronus bounded down the stairs and bounced on his toes while he waited for his dad.

The drive to the school was full of pep-talks about making friends and paying attention and how maybe he wouldn’t fit in at first but he’d just have to keep trying harder. Cronus already knew all of this and tuned it out. He was too busy imagining how all the new people would look. It was hard, because his young brain couldn’t come up with a new face for everyone.

Classroom assignment in hand, Cronus sprinted into the school. He slowed down when he met a wall of bodies, many of them twice or even three times his size. Cronus hoped that they weren’t in his class, because they looked really scary!

Once he’d found his class, he slipped in and went to the teacher to introduce himself.

“Well, hi there, Cronus!” The teacher smiled. “Your seat is back there in the corner, and you’ll have another little boy named Kankri sitting by you! He’s really shy, but I’m sure you two will get along!” She led him to his seat, where Cronus plopped himself down excitedly. He bounced in that little plastic chair, waiting very impatiently for his table partner to arrive.

Cronus saw all of the other seats fill up before the one next to his finally did. He peered intently at the door to see a boy walk in. He assumed it was Kankri. The boy was wearing a bright red sweater and black pants that looked like colored versions of Cronus’s own jeans. This boy also had white, curly hair and Cronus thought it looked really cute on him. But, boys aren’t supposed to think boys are cute, are they? Cronus didn’t care either way. He was just saying what he saw, and he saw that Kankri’s hair was cute.

Kankri walked to his seat quickly, staring at the new person he was supposed to be sitting with.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Cronus!” He said. “I’m new!”

“Oh. Okay.” Kankri sat down before he spoke again. “Maybe we can be friends, then. I’m new, too! I just moved here this year!”

The two boys became fast friends. They paid attention during class, however, and weren’t the least bit disruptive. Well… They were as undisruptive as any boy in kindergarten can be.

At snack time, they chatted away about all their favorites: Favorite food, favorite movie, book, song, animal, color, anything and everything they could think of to talk about. When Kankri dunked his cookie just a second too long into his milk, it dropped onto the floor when he went to bite it. Cronus broke the rest of his cookie in half and gave the bigger piece to Kankri.

They worked on their writing lesson together. Cronus showed Kankri a cool way to make his w’s, and Kankri showed Cronus an easier way to write his b’s. They giggled quietly as they told each other jokes and got to know each other as best as five-year-olds could.

Cronus was really sad when the bell rang, signalling that they could all leave. He didn’t want to leave his new friend. Kankri didn’t want to leave Cronus either, so he gave Cronus his address. Kankri was proud of himself for remembering it, and Cronus was ecstatic that he could see his new friend outside of school. After hugging the white-haired biy and getting a little bit of a protest out of him for it, Cronus sprinted to his dad, who was waiting for him outside.

“Hey, Cronus!” He scooped the young boy up into his arms and squeezed him in a hug before setting him down. “How was your first day at your new school?”

“It was great, dad! I made a new friend! His name is Kankri and he has white hair and these really cool red eyes and he’s really awesome! He gave me his address so I can go see him today! Can I pleeeeeeeeaaaase?!”

Cronus’s dad was surprised at the description. Kankri was an albino? He guessed it wasn’t his fault, but if Cronus thought he was cool, Kankri wasn’t using his appearance to gain attention.

“Well, I guess so. But, you need to do your homework first.”

“I don’t have any! We did it all at school during recess! Kankri can’t go outside because his skin is sens... sensi...sensitive! So, I stayed inside with him so he wouldn’t feel lonely and we got all our homework done!”

“Then, go get your brother and we can head over!”

Cronus nearly squealed with delight at this, but he didn’t. He was a big boy, and big boys don’t squeal. Big boys go upstairs and wrestle their little brothers until they get out of bed, so that’s what Cronus did. Eridan didn’t seem to happy about Cronus’s ‘big boy’ actions, but he followed Cronus out to the car, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

After they were both safely buckled into the car, their dad drove them over to the house on the address. Cronus sprinted out of the car and up the sidewalk to the front door, knocking on it hurriedly and maybe a little too loudly. The door to the Vantas household opened, and a younger man with the same white hair and red eyes as Kankri opened the door.

“Oh! Hello! You must be Cronus! Kankri hasn’t stopped talking about you since he got home! Please, come in!” The Ampora family was let in and they sat down on the couch. Cronus’s seat was keot cold, however, because Kankri grabbed his hand and pulled him back up.

“Come on! I gotta show you my treehouse!” The boys ran outside to the treehouse in the back, and the parents and youngest kids were left to get to know each other. Karkat and Eridan got along well enough, but it was obvious they had other friends at Pre-School they would like to spend their time with.

Cronus climbed up into the the tree after Kankri. He noticed Kankri was careful to stay in cooler, more shadowy places, and Cronus was okay with that because he didn’t want his friend’s skin getting hurt.

Cronus and Kankri spent the afternoon talking and pretending to be shadows and ninjas and for some reason they morphed into turtles at one point, and were crawling around with boxes on their backs when the adults and babies came out into the backyard.

“Cronus!Time to go home, buddy!”

“AWW, Dad!” Cronus grumbled and took his box off. “Bye, Kankri.” He hugged his friend, who hugged him back this time, before climbing out of the treehouse. Cronus trudged to the car and they drove home. After they ate dinner, Cronus barely had the energy to brush his teeth and change into pajamas before he fell onto his bed. He was asleep instantly. Cronus’s dreams were filled with white hair, red eyes, and cookies and milk.


	3. Monkey See, Monkey Do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will have some kissing and making out in it, and *hopefully* the next chapter will have a tiny bit of smut in it. Just, like, awkward experimentation. Kinda like this chapter.

Around four years later, Cronus and Kankri shared their first kiss.

School had just ended for them, their third grade year. Both of the boys were nine years old at this time. Kankri had seen his parents do something together that he later found out was called kissing. He was told that you could only kiss someone you were extremely close to. Not realizing the implications this had, Kankri turned to his best friend for help.

Kankri chose a calm day where neither of them had homework and they were just hanging out together in Kankri’s treehouse to enact his plan. He would introduce the idea to Cronus in the least threatening way he could think of. He had all of his arguments in mind in case Cronus thought he was weird or anything else.

“Cronus, I need your help with something! My parents taught me about this thing they do that I really want to try but I can only do it with someone I’m close to so I need your help!” Ever since they met in kindergarten, Cronus had grown accustomed to the rushed way Kankri spoke. If he was honest with himself, he almost liked it and welcomed it.

“Okay, what’s that?”

“It’s called kissing. I need you to come here.”

Cronus blinked at this. Kankri wanted to kiss him? But, they were only nine! was that even allowed? Cronus couldn’t process what was going on, so he said the most intelligent thing he was capable of.

“Uh… What?”

Kankri swallowed hard, thinking that maybe Cronus was mad at him. When he spoke, his voice was softer.

“Cronus, we don’t have to. I was just asking if you wanted to because I’m curious and wanna know what it’s like and I just thought that you were the person I’m closest to.”

Cronus shrugged. “Alright,” he said. “Let’s do it.”

Kankri’s heart pounded, but he didn’t know why. As Cronus stepped closer, Kankri had to down a bit the keep eye contact. Kankri was a couple inches taller than Cronus, but he knew that their heights would change, if Cronus’s build was anything to judge by. Kankri leaned down and their lips pressed together.

The first thing Kankri thought was, ‘Is this supposed to make my heart all jumpy?’ He quickly pushed that thought away and focused on the feeling, returning his attention back to Cronus. Cronus pressed into the kiss a bit more, surprised to find that he really liked kissing Kankri.

Cronus was the first to pull away, peering up at Kankri’s face.

“That was… awesome!” Cronus’s eyes lit up as he spoke. Kankri always found Cronus’s eyes endearing and entrancing. They were a light purple color, which was caused by a mutation of his genes called Alexandria’s Genesis. Due to this condition, Cronus also would not develop any body or pubic hair as he matured(other than that on his head, eyebrows, eyelashes, ears, and nose), which would be cause for some confusion around his puberty. Everything else would mature, however.

Kankri nodded in agreement to Cronus’s statement. “We should do that more often,” he whispered.

Cronus smiled and kissed him again, a little harder. This earned him a surprised noise from the white-haired boy, and enthusiastic lips pressing back against his own. Cronus had the bright idea to kiss kankri again without pulling away. This made both of them gasp at the feeling and pull away to look at each other. Cronus searched Kankri’s red eyes, and Kankri searched the violet ones. Both of the boys had no idea what they could say that could properly express the tidal wave of emotions they were feeling.

 

After their first kiss, Kankri and Cronus found it rather distracting to be around each other and not try out more kissing techniques. Without even knowing what it was called or would do to them, the boys discovered French kissing, lip biting, and trying to compete to control the kiss. Cronus was usually in control, and they were both okay with this. Cronus liked it when Kankri was sitting in his lap hen they kissed. Kankri liked being pinned under Cronus. Both of them liked their hair being pulled. Both of them also enjoyed when they got a bit older and certain parts started rubbing together when they kissed. They didn't know what it meant or anything, so they didn't do anything with these new discoveries of their bodies.

Cronus preferred the rougher feeling of teeth scraping against his lips, while Kankri could spend hours memorizing each detail of his best friend’s tongue. They constantly changed up what they were doing so neither of them would get bored.

Cronus would find excuses to go over to Kankri’s house everyday. His favorite was that Kankri was tutoring him. After a while, his dad got suspicious as Cronus had all A’s in every single class(this was due to his resolution in kindergarten to pay better attention and make his dad proud). Cronus began purposely marking things wrong in order to give himself a B average on everything, so he would have a reason to go over to Kankri’s house. Everything seemed normal between the two at school and at home. The boys’ parents just figured they really enjoyed playing together and hopefully this would continue into high school and college so neither of them had to deal with a near heart-broken child.

Cronus often replayed the images of them kissing in his mind at night, wishing for… Something he couldn’t quite grasp. It almost felt like he wanted more. But, how could he want more? They were doing everything they could with their mouths, right?

It wouldn’t be another few years before Cronus would find out just how wrong he was.


	4. Best Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for this being a day late! I had to write this in school and felt incredibly awkward. It was slow going as I usually sit in the front of my classes and didn't want to risk anyone seeing this! Updates will go up on Fridays from now on, as I have more time to be able to write and post these stories on Fridays. Let me just say that the support I've gotten on this serious is utterly insane! I didn't expect for this to get any hits, ever, and now I'm up to about 250 hits and 35 Kudos?? This is insane! Thank you all so much!

When Cronus was thirteen, he discovered porn.

It wasn’t an accident like when Kankri and him had first kissed. Cronus had been trying to figure out how different people kissed, and new things he could do. While he was searching for this, the word ‘blowjob’ popped up multiple times. Cronus was intrigued, so he clicked on a video that he hoped would explain what a blowjob was.

Cronus got more than he bargained for. It was a full blown porno. Cronus was surprised to find out that there were many more things someone could do with their mouth. He wanted to tell Kankri about this and maybe try it out. They liked kissing, and this was just kissing another part of the body, right?

On closer inspection, Cronus saw that the man’s privates stuck straight out. Why didn’t his do that? Somehow, Cronus knew that he couldn’t ask his dad about it. Maybe that’s what happened when he and Kankri kissed? 

Yeah, that made sense! There were parts on both of them that got harder and pressed together when they kissed, so that had to be it!

Cronus closed his laptop, amazed with his discoveries and shocked to find a new one: There was that lump in his pants again. He hadn’t even been kissing Kankri! Maybe, he thought, maybe he liked watching that video? That must be why he was all hard down there!

 

Kankri peered at Cronus when they were settled down in the tree house.

“So, what’d you want to tell me?”

“I found this thing on the internet. It’s called porn.” He blushed a bit as he went on. “I saw something in it that I wanted to try, but I can only do it with you.”

Kankri blushed. He’d already discovered porn, but had been too embarrassed to tell Cronus about it. “What is it…?”

Cronus’s face turned even redder and he rubbed the back of his neck. “I, uh… It’s called a blowjob…”

Kankri’s jaw dropped. “You want to give me a blowjob? Or, did you want it the other way around…?” Cronus’s response was widened eyes and a hard swallow.

“Uh, either one works, I guess… I… I mean, we could take turns, if you want…”

Kankri bit his lip and nodded. “But, who’s doing what first?”

Cronus shrugged. “I guess… I guess we start out like usual and see what happens?”

Kankri nodded once more. He released the lip he’d been biting and leaned forward, kissing cronus softly like they always started. Cronus was nervous, and his lips seemed almost hesitant at first. After some gentle pressure from Kankri’s mouth, Cronus was kissing Kankri back, deep and full. Their lips parted and met, tongues dancing around each other in a whirlwind of feelings.

Cronus pulled Kankri onto his lap, moving his lips down to the albino boy’s neck. This made Kankri gasp softly. They’d never done this before, and Kankri found that he quite liked it. Kankri set his hands on Cronus’s shoulders to balance himself and leaned his head back, giving Cronus more room to work.

Cronus started kissing up and down Kankri’s pale neck. Soon enough, with each kiss came a small flick of his tongue against the porcelain skin, and Kankri was breathing a little heavier than he usually did. Cronus nipped lightly at the skin, leaving a red mark that disappeared before his eyes. This pulled a soft sound from Kankri that wasn’t quite a moan, but Cronus knew it was a good sound.

Kankri blushed deeply as Cronus pushed the hem of his sweater up. He never wore short sleeves or took his shirt off because of the simple fact that Kankri was extremely skinny. Before he knew it, the sweater was off of him and on the ground beside them. Cronus swept his eyes over Kankri’s body, smiling nervously. “I guess I’ll do you first, then…”

Cronus rolled so Kankri was under him and slid his hands down to the front of Kankri’s pants. He gently undid Kankri’s pants, pulling them down to the middle of Kankri’s thighs. He swallowed hard and pulled Kankri’s boxers down to the same level, blushing deeply when Kankri’s shaft was exposed. Kankri was blushing just as much at this point, not sure if Cronus would actually got through with this or not. Kankri really hoped so.

Cronus wrapped a hand around Kankri’s hardened member. It felt so different from his own, but it felt similar, as well. Cronus calmed down a bit at the familiarity. He moved his hand slowly, not sure how Kankri liked to do things. Cronus bit his lip and scooted back a little until he was on his hands and knees and his face was level with Kankri’s crotch. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves before leaning forward and placing a kiss on the tip. The flesh felt soft and warm against his lips, but hard and unrelenting at the same time.

Cronus decided he liked it and kissed down Kankri’s shaft to the base. He could hear the small noises of pleasure that were escaping his best friend's mouth, and this spurred Cronus on. He found himself wanting to hear more of those noises, or make them louder. Cronus went back to the tip and took it into his mouth. He sucked gently, just trying to figure out exactly what to do. He heard kankri gasp and felt fingers digging into his hair, so he figured he must have been doing something right.

Cronus started thinking back to the videos he’d watched for help. What had they been doing in them? That’s right, they moved their head, didn’t they? Cronus started doing that, slow movements that brought Kankri to the back of his throat before he had to pull away again because of his gag reflex. Cronus kept going, though. He found a rhythm that fit both of them perfect and kept going. Now, what else had they done in that video? The girl had wrapped her hand around the remaining flesh, right? Cronus tried that.

Kankri’s eyes shut shut as he let out a moan. Cronus’s tongue was magical on him. He didn’t realize that sex could be so great, but now Kankri knew why adults did it so much. He trusted Cronus with his life, and this was the best way to show him that. Kankri wasn’t confident in himself at all, but Cronus didn’t mind. He seemed to think Kankri was just as normal as everyone else. Kankri pushed these thoughts aside as he felt Cronus’s tongue flick over the slit in his cock, eliciting a gasp from the albino boy.

Cronus was surprised at the taste of Kankri’s precum. He didn’t know what to expect, really, but he definitely thought it would taste somewhat good. Why else would people do this so much? He didn’t dislike the taste very much, but it wasn’t his favorite. Cronus psuhed the thought aside and went back to licking and sucking up and down Kankri’s cock. He could hear the moans from above him becoming more frequent and higher pitched.

“Cronus, I’m close…!” Kankri let out a warning seconds before he came into Cronus’s mouth.

The black-haired boy’s eyes widened in surprise, but he didn’t pull away. He knew if he did, there would be a mess all over his shirt that he’d have to explain, and he didn’t know how to explain that just yet. So, he let the liquid collect in his mouth as Kankri’s fingers pulled on his hair. Cronus discovered he really, really liked his hair being pulled and maybe he really, really liked sucking Kankri off as well.

Cronus swallowed the liquid in his mouth once Kankri relaxed. Cronus noticed that the taste was pretty much the same as the precum, so he was almost expecting it. Kankri lay back on the floor, panting.

“That was… Just, wow…” Kankri was at a loss for words for once in his life. He sat up and kissed Cronus deeply, not even caring that he’d just blown him. Cronus returned the kiss with passion, nearly humming with happiness that he’d been able to make Kankri cum. He felt them shift and found himself lying on his back, Kankri looming over him.

“Your turn,” he said, as he trailed kisses down Cronus’s neck. His hands rubbed at the growing bulge in the blue jeans, and a smirk found its way to Kankri’s face. He shifted so his face was lined up with Cronus’s crotch and flicked the jeans open quickly, pulling them down and realizing Cronus wasn’t wearing any boxers. Somehow, this made Kankri bite his lip, knowing that Cronus’s member had been just one layer of cloth away this whole time.

Cronus blushed and was about to apologize when he was cut off by Kankri’s lips against his and the pale hand around his shaft. Cronus bucked up into that had one time before realizing he needed to let Kankri do what he wanted to do.

Kankri pulled away and shifted down, his breath ghosting over the tip of Kankri’s shaft. Cronus sucked in a breath as those pale lips closed around the tip of his cock.

After a little while of the ministrations to his cock, around the same length of time he’d done this to Kanrki, Cronus found himself nearing his edge.

“Kankri… I’m real close.” His voice was a breathy moan. After just a few more bobs of Kankri’s head, Cronus’s hips bucked up and he came into Kankri’s waiting mouth. Now he knew why Kankri had kissed him so feverishly after his turn. This felt amazing and was so hot that Cronus couldn’t even contemplate anything but the smoldering ball of pleasure in his stomach.

Once Cronus had finished, Kankri swallowed as well. The two boys slipped themselves back into their pants and laid together, curled up in each other’s arms. They rode out the afterglow together through cuddles and sleepy kisses.

Once the first sign of darkness reared its ugly head, Cronus sat up groggily. “Hey, Kan. I gotta get home.” He’d never used the nickname before, but he could tell that Kankri liked it. Cronus decided he’d make a habit of using it. He kissed Kankri’s forehead before he stood up and walked home, a satisfied smile on his face.

Kankri smiled and headed inside , going to the shower to wash up and relax. Cronus flopped on his bed at his house. He couldn’t stop smiling. Everything that day had been perfect. He couldn’t imagine any other way he’d like it to be.

Cronus didn't realize just how much he would love hi best friend in the years to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, the next chapter will not have any smut in it. It will mostly be a lot of sadstuck. I'm sorry!


	5. Breaking Hearts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the sadstuck begins!

A little less than six months later, Cronus was told he’d be moving. He was devastated. He couldn’t imagine losing his best friend. So, he decided not to tell Kankri until the day he left. He figured it would hurt the albino boy less if it was a clean break.

Cronus couldn’t have been more wrong.

As soon as Cronus learned about his impending move, he started distancing himself from Kankri. He would come up with an excuse to stay home and not go over to Kankri’s house, or say that Kankri couldn’t come over to his house because it’s too dirty or he’s too tired. It hurt Cronus to lie to his friend like that, but he didn’t know any better. He was almost fourteen, and he just didn’t know how to handle his friendship and it having to end because he was leaving.

The truth was, Cronus had started to realize that they weren’t just friends anymore. He enjoyed spending any amount of time with Kankri, and he started to miss his presence whenever they weren’t with each other. He craved the feeling of Kankri being in his arms and the soft caress of his lips on his skin. He longed to be able to hear those noises Kankri would make when they made out, but he knew he couldn’t. It would hurt them both too much.

 

As the dreaded day approached, Cronus found himself looking longingly at Kankri when he walked away. He was sure the other kids could see it, but no one said anything about it. By the time he was in eighth grade, Cronus had shot up through the ranks of popularity. This was caused by him learning how to play guitar, and using that talent to help get the energy up at pep rallies and just random lazy days in the park. He started to notice the way girls would look at him as he played. The little winks and “accidental” brushes in the hallways and touching him when they talked got Cronus thinking. Maybe leaving wasn’t such a bad thing.

He’d have a new start, and no one would know him. He could be who he knew he really was. He could date whoever he wanted, as long as it was a girl. He knew he couldn’t date Kankri, or he’d have to face the harsh words and stinging tongues of those who didn’t approve of it.

But, no matter how hard he tried to stop them, his thoughts always came back around to Kankri. How would he feel when Cronus was gone? What would happen to him? Would they stay in touch? Would they still be friends? Cronus knew the answer to two of those questions, and they weren’t positive outcomes.

On the day of the move, Cronus refused to leave Kankri’s side. They both called off of school and faked being sick like they sometimes did when they wanted more time together. Cronus’s stomach was churning nervously and he wouldn’t eat anything for fear of it all coming back up as soon as he started talking. The two boys spent the day in the treehouse, cuddling in the beanbag chair they’d bought together. Finally, around four in the afternoon, Cronus worked up the courage to tell Kankri. He only had an hour left with his best friend before he left, and he wanted to make it count. He opened his mouth to speak, but Kankri beat him to it.

“Cronus, why have you been avoiding me lately? Did I do something, or is it something with you? Is it a girl? Just, what’s going on?” The words came out in a hurried, jumbled mess, almost like Kankri didn’t want to know the answer. Cronus sighed before he spoke.

“I… I’m moving.”

“What?! When? Oh my God, Cronus! Why didn’t you tell me?!” Cronus could hear the tears forming in Kankri’s eyes from the way his voice shook.

“I just didn’t want to hurt you…” He stood up and walked to the window of the treehouse. “...I… I leave today. In an hour.” He closed his eyes and put his hands on the windowsill to steady himself. He could hear the soft gasp from behind him.

“Are… Are you moving far away?” Kankri quickly wiped at his eyes before the tears could fall. Crying isn’t manly, Kankri!

“Yes, I probably won’t see you ever again.”

There were some quick shuffles behind him and Cronus felt Kankri’s arms around his waist as he shook and sobbed.

“No! Cronus…”

Cronus gently pried Kankri off of him. “I’m sorry,” he said. “But, this is the only way. I don’t want to hurt you.” He turned and climbed down out of the treehouse and ran home before the tears started to fall from his own eyes.

Kankri was left on his knees, sobbing, his body shaking with the force of them. He clutched at his chest. His heart hurt. Not in a literal sense, but Kankri began to wonder if it was possible to die from a broken heart.

Cronus threw himself into packing the car when he got home. He shoved the the bags and boxes into the car with as much force as he could muster and not break anything. The work distracted him from the stinging behind his eyes. He refused to let himself cry any more. He was starting over, and he decided the new Cronus was never going to cry or seem weak. The new Cronus was going to be badass and awesome and not care about how much he was losing when he left.

When they drove off, they passed Kankri’s house. He looked up and saw those beautiful red eyes watching as he left from the window of his living room. They burned straight into his heart and he looked away before he could cry. He just hoped Kankri wouldn’t find the note he’d left for a few years.

Cronus knew both of their hearts were broken, but there was no going back. He pulled out his phone, but he didn't have enough courage to press the delete button on Kankri's contact. He knew he needed to distance himself, but it couldn't be that far quite yet.


	6. Separated

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter, but I was making myself cry as I wrote this! I also plan on writing a one shot for my matesprit today, so I wanted to get this finished!

Cronus adjusted and changed quickly in his new town. He got rid of his nerdy wizarding stuff in exchange for a black leather jacket. He ditched his fake glasses and threw away all of his wands. He got his hair cut and started slicking it back like a greaser from his favorite movies. He became a walking stereotype, and Cronus loved every second of it.

The girls went crazy for the new Cronus. He’d bring home a new girl every week. He was happy with himself. No one was looking at him like he was weird for being in love with his best friend. Cronus quickly rose through the ranks of popularity at his new high school. He never really thought about his old life, deciding his new one was much more interesting and had more to offer than the one he’d lived as a child obsessed with magic.

Cronus never thought of his old best friend. Not until he thought he saw him, anyway.

Walking to his class one day, Cronus had lifted his head to see a flash of white hair that was cut and styled exactly like he remembered Kankri’s being. He swallowed hard and kept watching the person the hair belonged to. When they turned into their own class, Cronus saw the side of their face and realized that not only was it not Kankri, it was a girl. Cronus looked down, his heart beating too fast. He knew he missed Kankri, but he refused to let it get to him.

 

Kankri, however, was devastated. He didn’t know how to interact with anyone other than Cronus. He was confused and lost for the first few months until he met this girl named Porrim. She always wore a very revealing dress and had tattoos and piercings all over her body. Kankri befriended her, but was extremely distrusting of her, refusing to get too close. He discovered Tumblr, and the gateway to a new life opened for him. Kankri was able to correct the mean things that people said to each other. He was able to talk to people without having to see them or try to gauge their true emotions and reactions.

Kankri couldn’t stand the thought of anyone touching him anymore. He associated it with Cronus, and it became a bad topic for him to even think about. So, Kankri became celibate. He knew people would have questions for him. He started researching everything, learning all that he could. Within six months of Cronus’s departure, Kankri was a completely different person. He had an entire arsenal of identical red sweater and high-waisted black jeans. He wore the same outfit every day, and that was enough to deter most of the advances he had to face.

Even though he would never admit it, Kankri often thought of Cronus when he was alone with his thoughts. He would cry himself to sleep, feeling just how empty and broken he was. He clutched at his pillow, pretending he was wrapping himself around the boy he was missing so desperately.

On a day where Kankri was feeling especially down, he drug a blanket up to the tree house and curled up in the beanbag chair. When the chair shifted, he noticed a piece of paper folded up under the edge of it. Kankri frowned and picked it up. His heart fluttered when he saw his name on the front in Cronus’s handwriting. Slowly, with shaking hands, Kankri opened the letter and read it.

 

Kan,

I’m sorry. I couldn’t tell you I was leaving. The thought of telling you made my heart sink because I kept imagining the look on your face, and how differently you would treat me. I just wanted a normal day for our last day together. I should’ve told you sooner, but I was afraid.

That’s not the only thing I should’ve told you. I left out another little detail the whole time we were friends. I’m in love with you, Kankri. Nothing’s gonna change that, even when I move. I’m gonna miss you so much… I love you.

Cronus

 

Tears spilled down Kankri’s face and he clutched the note to his chest, his emotions renewed and ripping his heart out more and more. Kankri’s body shook as he sobbed. The wind rustled the leaves outside of the treehouse and lulled Kanrki into a light, restless sleep that made him exhausted when he woke up the next morning.

That was the final straw for Kankri. He went through the house and got rid of anything and everything that reminded him of Cronus.


	7. Grease Is The Word

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for such a late update! I haven't had access to the internet for a while except through my phone, and I can't really write properly from there. I worked all day yesterday and today when I had the time to finish this chapter. It was one of those things you think of in the middle of the night when you can't sleep, and it seemed like a genius idea to me. I've been obsessed with Grease for a while, and this was my best outlet so far.
> 
>  
> 
> P.S.: I do not own Grease, the songs, or the characters from the movie/play.

Cronus was always humming along to his favorite songs. He would often break into song in the middle of the hallway. If people knew the song, they would join in with him. Most of the time, he would sing songs from his favorite movie, Grease.

Cronus actually had a really good singing voice. It sounded rather close to John Travolta’s voice in Grease, and he used that to his advantage. He was a real life, walking, talking, dancing and singing Danny Zuko. Cronus always dreamed of being able to perform a song from the movie in front of his friends, but his school didn’t do plays or talent shows.

In his senior year, Cronus got his chance.

The school got a brand new music teacher, one who actually liked his students. He heard about how they’d never done any production in the school whatsoever. He was outraged. During the second month of school, tryouts were held for the musical. Cronus knew he had to try out, as they were doing Grease. He was bound to get the part for Danny. The only question was who would be Sandy.

 

Kankri was excelling in his classes. He achieved over a hundred percent in every class, as he spent most of his nights studying the things they went over in class. He became a book worm, occupying his hungry mind with the informative words of authors only he had heard about. He conducted research on topics no one else cared about just on the off chance that someone would say something offensive and he could shoot them down in an instant.

Kankri was bound to get valedictorian, but he had no activity points. His counselor decided the best course of action would be to send him on a transfer course to another school that had more clubs and activities for him to participate in. The particular school Kankri was most interested in had just started auditions for their musical, and Kankri wanted in.

Though he’d never really broadcast it, Kankri had a lovely singing voice. He enjoyed singing along to classical music arrangements, as well as with artists that had a higher vocal range. He was surprised to find out he had a high-soprano vocal range. He was not ashamed of it. It just meant he was a boy who could sing higher notes. He couldn’t help that. Once he figured out just how high he could sing, Kankri began searching for female singers with a vocal range similar to his own.

Soon enough, he discovered Olivia Newton-John.

Kankri quickly became obsessed with her work. He would watch Grease over and over in order to nail down her parts in the songs. He was told at least twice a day to quiet down so his father and brother could hear the television.

When Kankri discovered the school that would be doing a production of Grease, he instantly knew where he would be going. He was fairly certain he was skinny enough to be mistaken for a girl, and it wasn’t hard to get those silicon molds that gave any man who slipped it on the figure of a woman. His hair was light enough, and if he grew it out enough, it would look just like Sandy’s. His vocal abilities matched hers to a T. Kankri knew he was certain to get the part.

Kankri scheduled a private audition a few days before he transferred.

He would be staying in a small apartment he was paying for with his work. He’d picked up a part-time job as an assistant preacher at a local church. He was heading out of state, but it was only a few hours to drive, and he planned on going home on the weekends. I was a long commute, but it was helping him become more mature and well rounded, and increased his chances of receiving a scholarship to any school he wanted.

It was evident from the choir teacher’s reaction that he’d never seen a man hit notes that high before.Sure, he’d tried to get his tenors to reach into their falsetto voices, but it had never worked. And there was Kankri, blasting out high notes better than any girl that had auditioned.

Kankri was informed immediately after the audition that he had to part of Sandy. The director made sure he was okay with the outfits he would be wearing. Kankri was a little worried, but shorts underneath should take care of any issues that might arise. All that was left was for Kankri to meet his Danny.

 

Cronus knew he had the part of Danny before he even left the audition room. He was told formally that he’d gotten it by a small envelope taped to his locker. The teacher had explained that he didn’t want everyone to see the disappointment of those who hadn’t gotten a part, so he gave out the parts privately. This worked for Cronus, but he also wanted to know who had gotten the part of Sandy.

The first day of practice was a day of smiles and laughs until about halfway through. The teens had spent most of their time trying to figure out who was who. When they realized no one there was Sandy, the knew the transfer student had gotten the part. No one knew who the transfer was, though, and they sure as heck didn’t know it would be a guy.

“Hey, teach.” Cronus went up to the director. “When’s the new chick getting here? I wanna meet her n’ figure out my part n’ how we work togetha.”

“Sandy is being played by a boy. He’ll be here momentarily. His name is-” He was interrupted by a small knock on the door. “Well, that’ll be him. I figure he can introduce himself.”

Cronus was surprised by Sandy being a boy, but he was comfortable enough with his sexuality to not be bother by having to dance and sing with and kiss a boy. Wasn’t he?

When the teacher opened the door into the room, Cronus and Kankri instantly made eye contact. Cronus knew those eyes, that hair, and that red sweater anywhere. Kankri was finally here, in the flesh. Cronus didn’t know if he could be Danny anymore.

Kankri didn’t realize who was standing before him. Cronus had changed so much, from a baby-faced young boy with round glasses and curly hair and stringy muscles to an attractive young man with slicked-back hair, a strong jawline, and perfectly toned muscles. His voice had changed as well, so Kankri didn’t recognize him that way, either. The purple eyes were a bit suspicious, but contacts were easy enough to buy.

“Kankri…?!” Cronus took a step back. This caused Kankri to cross his arms, offended at such a rude reaction.

“Really? Is that any way to treat your partner in a musical? I expected shock as I’m a boy, but not revulsion. I’m quite offended at your actions, mister. Although, I am surprised you were kind enough to remember my name, even though it must have been hard to do so during auditions.” He stepped closer, narrowing his eyes. “Just who are you, hmm?”

Cronus covered his mouth with his hand. It was really Kankri. That high-pitched, adorable voice had matured into something more beautiful than Cronus could have imagined, and those unruly curls in his hair made Cronus’s fingers itch to reach out and smooth them like he once had a long time ago. His heart jumped up into his throat and threatened to jump out and profess his love for the boy in the red sweater. He swallowed hard and turned away, looking down at the piano next to him.

“Don’t you remember me, Kankri?”

“I’m afraid I haven’t been introduced to anyone at the school yet. My first day of classes is tomorrow, but I wanted to attend the first practice.” Kankri sighed in impatience. Just please, tell me your name, or I’m going to start addressing you as Danny, and that will be an embarrassing thing for both of us.”  
Cronus sighed, still facing away from Kankri.

“Cronus Ampora, at your service.” He waited for the gasp and the scream and the pounding of fists he’d expected if he ever met Kankri. What he got was totally different. Silence. Dead silence from the whole room as everyone watched to see what would happen. Cronus turned around and felt his heart break at the sight.

Kankri was staring straight at him, tears rolling down his face slowly. He hugged himself and looked down, taking a breath to steady himself before he spoke. He looked back up at Cronus, sadness and loss dulling his eyes before anger flit across them, lighting a spark to a long-doused fire.

“Well, Cronus,” Kankri’s voice was cold as ice. “I look forward to participating in this play with you.” He wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his sweater before walking past Cronus to the small group of girls he assumed was The Pink Ladies. He hit his shoulder against Cronus’s arm along the way.

Cronus let himself be hit. His world crashed down around him. His only goal now was to get Kankri back into his life, like he should be.

He had no idea how.


	8. Summer Nights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Grease or any of the characters or songs from the movie or television show.
> 
> Also, the titles of the next few chapters are going to be Grease songs. So, yeah. But, I'm glad to be back on track and updating at normal times!

As soon as Kankri had brushed Cronus off like some dust on the cuff of his sweater, Cronus knew the next few months were going to be long ones. He was prepared, though. If Kankri could get through it, why shouldn’t he be able to? He was Danny, the cool greaser who never let anything get to his heart. He wasn’t going to let that facade slip now.

The first practice was simple enough. The chorus members were taught the background parts to Summer Nights. Cronus and Kankri were left to go over lines on the side of the room. The other main characters flopped back and forth between singing and learning lines.

Kankri was rather cold to Cronus. He didn’t regret any of it. Instead of ignoring him and only giving half-assed lines, he chose to use his voice to give the words emotion. They floated out of him, each one as light and soft as a feather with a barb at the end of certain lines that caught and pulled at Cronus’s heart.

Cronus let his words be filled with emotion as well. He wouldn’t admit it, but each plea from Danny’s mouth to Sandra’s ears was also from his own soul to Kankri’s heart, begging for forgiveness. When there was scripted touching, Cronus would reach his hand out to do whatever action it was that he was supposed to do. Kankri would somehow manage to dodge it, avoiding any physical contact besides hitting Cronus with his shoulder earlier.

If it was going to be like that through this whole thing, Cronus didn’t know if they would have a show at all. He really hoped Kankri would turn his act around and start speaking to him again. Although, if Cronus was honest with himself, he wouldn’t have wanted to talk to someone who’d deserted him like that. He couldn’t blame Kankri for being angry at him.

Kankri knew that when they’d gone through their lines three times in less than an hour, they needed to do something other than just the lines. He hated the thought of Cronus touching him again after so long, but he supposed it couldn’t be avoided if they were going to portray characters who were madly in love with each other. Still, he wanted to avoid it as long as possible, and if they kept going over lines, they would have to add in the actions soon enough.

“Alright, Cronus.” Kankri sighed and sat his script down. Cronus’s heart jumped into his throat at the sound of his name. Kankri was actually talking to him?! Kankri continued speaking, ignoring the near shocked look he got from the purple-eyed boy. “Let’s try singing our parts for Summer Nights. Think you can handle that?” Kankri headed over to where the rest of the students were practicing. Cronus followed, making a “tch” noise.

Both boys were surprised to find out how well the other could sing. Cronus’s voice had the inflections and breaks that Kankri had memorized Danny having, and Kankri had that slightly breathy quality Cronus had come to know and love. Begrudgingly, Kankri and Cronus both admitted to themselves that it would be easy working with someone so similar to the character, though they would never say it out loud.

Kankri found himself having a blast as they sang through the songs, making loose friendships with the girls cast for The Pink Ladies. Cronus had his fun with the rest of the T-Birds. They were all really good singers and acted out their parts through the words as much as Cronus and Kankri did. They couldn’t ask for a better cast.

The only thing they could even hope for was that Cronus and Kankri would make up, or at least get along better throughout the play than they had at the beginning of practice.

 

Kankri’s first two weeks at his new school were rather uneventful. He came to school, went to practice and went home. His father was proud of him, and his little brother promised him in his round-a-bout, grumpy way that he would come and see at least one of the performances. Kankri couldn’t be happier. He even became friends with one of the girls at the school.

Kankri had first encountered Porrim when he was in the office to pick up his schedule so he could head to class. She was sitting in a chair behind the desk, fixing her make up. Kankri didn’t know what there was to fix, as it all looked perfect to him.

“Excuse me? I’m new here. I need to pick my schedule up. Is there an office worker I may speak with?” Kankri kept his voice polite as he spoke to the intimidating girl behind the desk.

“Oh, not yet. Mz. Megido doesn’t arrive until a few minutes after school starts. She’s a very busy woman, quite honestly.” Porrim stood up and headed over to the end of the desk, picking up a small stack of papers. “I can help you, though. Is your name Kankri?”

“Yes.” 

Porrim handed him the papers and said, “Welcome. If you need anything, I’ll be down here for most of the day, except lunch. My name is Porrim.” She extended a tattooed hand out to him. Kankri shook it with a firm but not crushing grip.

“Thank you.” He looked over the papers. “I do hope to see you again sometime.” He headed off and to his first class, praying to any and every deity that could possibly exist that Cronus wouldn’t be in his first class.

His prayers were answered with a knife to the heart.

At least the empty seats were across the room from Cronus and his gaggle of friends. Kankri sat as far away as possible from them. He wasn’t going to speak to Cronus during the day just because he was expected to kiss him on stage in front of hundreds of people within a few months.

The first class was Chemistry II, and Cronus and Kankri had it together, even after their own chemistry had ended years ago. How ironic. It was like a young person was writing their lives to play out in the form of some twisted, sick fantasy.

Kankri kept his eyes glued to the board or to the notes he was taking. refusing to look around his classroom. He could feel Cronus’s eyes on him every once in awhile, but ignored it. If Cronus could ignore him for years, Kankri could ignore him for the hour it took to get through their class period. Maybe then he would understand what he’d done to Kankri. Cronus was the only one to blame for Kankri hating him.

Cronus kept glancing over at Kankri, unable to focus on the lesson. He wanted so badly to go talk to Kankri and apologize, but the boy wouldn't even look at him. He would walk over and sit with him, but the class had started before he could think of that. He just wanted Kankri back, how they had been, and he wanted to hug him and kiss him like they used to.

Wait.

Wasn’t Cronus out of that phase? Was he really attracted to guys? Or… Was it just Kankri that attracted him? Cronus thought of all those nights during their last few summers together that they’d spend curled up in each other’s arms up in the tree house, and thought that maybe it was just Kankri, and maybe he really, honestly loved that albino boy.


	9. You're The One That I Want

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Grease, the music, the characters, or the stage play.
> 
> Also, I'm aware that the stage version is different from the movie, but for the sake of the story, they're going to be the same.

You’re the one that I want.  
You are the one I want.  
Woo-oo-oo, honey.

This song took on a whole new meaning for Cronus and Kankri both as they sang it. 

You’re the one that I want.  
You are the one I want.  
Woo-oo-oo, the one I need.  
Oh, yes, indeed.

Cronus realized he need Kankri, and needed to get him back. Kankri realized that maybe he’d overreacted just a bit when Cronus left, and he figured the Sandy could change, so why couldn’t he? It began to occur to them both that their lives were very similar to the characters in the movie. Some higher power must have been doing this to them for entertainment.

It was a few weeks after he’d come to the new school when they started the choreography for that very song, and Kankri had a plan. He approached Cronus with a challenge in his eyes.

“Try and keep up.” He smirked and got in his place for the start of the song, letting his hand just barely brush Cronus’s as he walked past. This earned a short, sharp laugh from Cronus.

“I think I can handle it.” The boys met each other’s gazes, challenges and smugness coming from them both.

Kankri wasn’t going to let Cronus get to him anymore.

Cronus was going to try to get to Kankri as much as possible.

The music started, and Cronus began his part. Both of them had prop jackets to practice with until the real ones came in. Cronus removed his as he sang, much like Danny did in the movies. Kankri followed suit, copying Sandy’s movements. He mimicked grinding a cigarette into the ground with his toe and put his foot to Cronus’s chest, pushing him back and turning to walk away.

“You better shape up, ‘cuz I need a man.” He turned back to Cronus. “And my heart is set on you.” Kankri looked directly into Cronus’s eyes as he sang, the full meaning of his words burning in them. He wanted Cronus back, but there was absolutely no way he was going to forgive him without Cronus doing some serious apologizing.

Cronus and Kankri danced together through the whole song. They moved through the makeshift fun house the set crew had constructed, trying their best to outdo each other.

Kankri pressed against Cronus more than he ever had, singing with more intensity than was really necessary for a high school show.

Cronus simply went along with it whenever Kankri pressed against him, setting his hands on Kankri’s hips, shoulders, arms, wherever he could reach. He was surprised Kankri hadn’t slapped him yet, like he so often did. Maybe Kankri was changing. Cronus really hoped so.

Once the song was finished, they were both smiling and laughing. It had felt so perfect and free, and both of them had enjoyed it more than anything they’d done so far.

“You okay there, chief?” Cronus smirked down at Kankri, a single eyebrow raised. “Thought ya didn’t like bein’ touched.”

“People change, Cronus. Much like you changed your mannerisms when you left. But, as I’ve changed as well, I’m willing to forgive your actions, as long as you work for it. Maybe even beg.” Kankri smirked and crossed his arms, looking up at Cronus. “And before you ask, yes. This means we are friends once more.”

Cronus smiled wide.

“Hell yes!” He laughed a bit and pulled Kankri into a hug, his long arms wrapping completely around the smaller boy’s body. “I can’t even explain how much I missed ya!”

“Language, Cronus.” Kankri didn’t pull away from the hug, the first time he’d done so since Cronus had left. He didn’t exactly return it, though. He set his hands on Cronus’s sides and looked up at him. “That’s one of two things I refuse to back down on.”

“Oh. Uh. Sorry, I guess.” Cronus was curious now. “What’s the other thing?”

“My celibacy, of course.” It seemed obvious to Kankri.

Cronus, on the other hand, was more than a bit surprised. “You’re celibate? After… Everything we did together? That’s not how it works, is it?”

“The way you’re looking at it makes it seem like I’m merely abstinent.” Kankri removed himself from Cronus’s arms and straightened his sweater. “I never plan on engaging in sexual activity. I’m still a virgin, Cronus. What we did does not void my choice.”

Cronus shook his head, slightly shocked. He ran a hand through his hair. “So, that’s why ya don’t like people touchin’ ya. I get it.”

Kankri nodded once. “Yes, Thank you for understanding, Cronus.”

“Just, one thing.” Cronus looked at Kankri. “Why in the world would ya decide to be celibate? Sex is like… Well, sex is sex, and it’s amazin’, you of all people should know that!”

The statement turned Kankri’s face bright red, and he cleared his throat before attempting to speak. It took him a few tries. Did he really want to tell Cronus that he’d become celibate because it reminded him of Cronus? Wouldn’t that all be done and over with now that they were friends again? Would Cronus expect him to suddenly return to how he was those years ago?

“Well. I believe that is my personal business. Perhaps you shall find out one day, once you’ve earned back enough respect and trust.”

“Fair enough, I guess.” Cronus shrugged, still not certain that what he’d done deserved a reaction and sort of punishment of this level.

Kankri unfolded his arms, calming himself down a bit from the small rant he’d gone on. Perhaps Cronus would end up hearing a longer one soon enough.

“So, if we’re friends again…” Cronus pulled out his cellphone. “Does that mean you’d wanna come over and hang out sometime?” He looked up at Kankri.

“Well, that is what friends do, I suppose.”

“Cool. Gimme your number, and we’ll set up a time we can hang out. As long as it ain’t a practice day, I’m usually free.”

Kankri hesitantly took the phone and punched his number in. His hands looked tiny holding the device, compared to Cronus’s large hands. Once he’d made a contact for himself, he handed the phone back to Cronus.

“I look forward to spending time with you.” He looked at his own phone to check the time. “Oh, shoot! My roommate is expecting me at home! It’s my turn to make dinner tonight. I will see you tomorrow, I suppose.” Kankri grabbed his backpack and headed outside, starting the trek home.

Cronus noticed he hadn’t headed to the parking lot, and followed him. “Hey, Kanny. You need a ride?”

Kankri froze, stiffening a bit at the nickname. “My name is Kankri.” He turned back to Cronus. “A ride would be lovely, however.”

Cronus smiled and took him to his car, opening the door for him.

“Thank you.” Kankri slid in, setting his backpack between his feet and buckling himself in. It was an older car, but somehow, it seemed to suit Cronus.

Cronus got in the driver’s seat and started up the car.

“Excuse me. You didn’t put your seatbelt on.”

Cronus raised an eyebrow at Kankri. Deciding another fight wouldn’t be worth it, he sighed a bit and buckled his seatbelt up. Kankri smiled at him smugly, and Cronus rolled his eyes. “Where to, chief?”

Kankri sighed at the newest nickname and began giving him directions to his apartment. In the background, the radio played softly, neither of them realizing it was the song they’d just bonded over.

Kankri climbed out of the car once they’d pulled up to his apartment and thanked Cronus quickly before heading inside, hoping his roommate hadn’t seen the car out front.

“Who was that?” Porrim called to him from her room. She’d moved in two weeks ago after her parents had kicked her out of their house for being ‘too rebellious’.

Kankri blushed brightly. Porrim knew everything about him, and he knew her just as well, so there was no way of getting around telling her the truth. Still, he wasn’t going to say his name explicitly.

“Just an old friend I reunited with.” Kankri headed to his room, smiling a bit. It would be much easier at school, now that he had more than one person to talk to. Maybe he’d even sit by Cronus in Chemistry from now on.

They sure seemed to have rekindled theirs.


	10. Making The Grade

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the long wait!! Over the brak, I had nearly no internet access and when I did have it, I used it to catch up on Supernatural as best as I could. There will be another chapter posted this Friday! Again, I'm so sorry for the wait!!!

“This friend of yours. What’s his name?” Porrim glanced at Kankri out of the corner of her eye as she prepared their breakfast. She hadn’t brought up the topic since Kankri had been dropped off by Cronus, which was about a week ago.

Kankri sighed, looking away. “Porrim,” he started. “I really wish you wouldn’t interfere with my business like this. Isn’t it my choice who my friends are?” This earned him an eyeroll from her.

“Yes, but, I’m just concerned for your safety. I’ve been around Cronus for much longer recently than you have. I know how he acts, Kankri.”

“No one said it was Cronus. You’re making assumptions about me, Porrim.” Kankri rolled his eyes and walked over to grab himself a plate of food. “Even though it was correct, I do not appreciate when you just say something about my life that you think is true.”

“So, it was Cronus.” She crossed her arms and moved in front of him, blocking his path to the food. “Kankri, I don't think you should trust him again so easily, especially with your vow.”

“My vow,” he hissed out. “Is none of your concern. I am perfectly capable of keeping it without you hounding me constantly about it. Just because we’re best friends doesn’t mean that you need to be watching my every move and listening to every word I say. I’ve kept my vow for four years without your help. Cronus is not going to change that.”

Kankri pushed past her gently so he wouldn’t push her into anything. He might be mad at her, but he wasn’t rude and didn’t want her getting hurt. He grabbed a plate and loaded it with food. Porrim had made eggs and pancakes.Of course, the eggs were imitation and the pancakes had been made with soy milk. He refused to eat anything that contained any animal products whatsoever.

Porrim grabbed her own plate of food and sat down at the table, eating silently. Kankri did the same, ignoring her glances and her clearing her throat to get his attention. When he was finished, he washed his plate off and put it in the strainer for it to dry.

“I’ll see you at school, Porrim.” Kankri headed out and started the trek to school. Porrim rolled her eyes and washed her plate off as well, heading out a few minutes after he’d left.

When he arrived at school, Kankri went to his locker, expecting a normal day except for maybe talking to Cronus once again. When he closed his locker, he jumped a bit. There Cronus was, leaning against the locker with one elbow. The other hand was on his hip. “Hey, Kan.”

Kankri put a hand over his heart. “Cronus, you scared me!”

“Sorry,” he said, chuckling as he stood up straight. “Just thought I’d walk ya ta class.”

“Oh. Well. Thank you, I suppose.” Kankri adjusted the strap of his backpack. “Let’s go.”

The boys headed towards their classroom. As they walked, Kankri noticed Cronus’s hand was awfully close to his own. He was open to talking to Cronus again, sure, but… Touching him? Being as friendly as they once were? He wasn’t ready for that. He moved his hands up and held onto the straps of his backpack, making it look less suspicious or like he’d done it on purpose.

Cronus couldn’t help but smirk a bit. He’d figured Kankri wouldn’t want to touch outside of what was necessary for the play, and had expected Kankri to move away. He wasn’t offended; this just gave him a bigger challenge. Cronus loved challenges.

When Cronus sat down, Kankri chewed his lip thoughtfully before he spoke.

“Cronus? Does anyone…. Well… Is there an open seat near you that I could sit in? It seems a bit silly to sit across the room from my old best friend now that I’m not feeling quite so upset about what you did.” This earned Kankri a chuckle.

“Ya don’t gotta go about sayin’ it in such a long way, Kan. If you wanna sit by me, I can have the guys shift a bit. It’s no big deal.”

Kankri blushed a bit, hiding his embarrassment by holding his head high and taking a seat in the desk next to Cronus. He set out his notebook and pencil, glancing up at the board to read the day’s objective.The only thing written there was, “LAB”. Kankri sighed a bit. He hated lab days. He never had a partner, so his work went very slowly. However, he always got an A on every lab.

“Hey, Kan, you wanna be my partner for today?” Cronus smiled a bit. If Kankri said ys, they would be able to talk more and catch up a little. Kankri huffed.

“Cronus, for the last time. My. Name. Is. Kankri.” He closed his notebook and picked up the lab paper that was passed back to them. “I’ll be your partner only if you promise to call me by my proper name.” He looked over at him.

“Sure thing, Kankri.” He smirked and led him back to the table they’d be using. The lab they were doing was supposed to be fun and surprising. They had gummy bears in the back of the room next to the chemical they were supposed to melt and the test tubes everything would be put into. Kankri and Cronus both put their goggles on and went to the table.

“Cronus, you get the burner and ring stand set up. I’ll get the rest of the supplies.” Both of the boys started doing their duties. Kankri carried the Potassium chlorate, test tube, and gummy bear back to the table, laying it out on the table. He put the potassium chlorate in the test tube and put it in the ring stand over the burner that Cronus had started up. Once the potassium chlorate was bubbling, they turned the fire off.

“Cronus, you can put the gummy bear in.” Kankri was too afraid of the reaction to do it himself.

Cronus gently dropped the gummy bear in and they both jumped back when the flames shot out of the tube. “Whoa!”

Kankri was a bit surprised by how violent the reaction was, but he had to admit, the purple tint to the flames was almost pretty. The noise, on the other hand, was not.

When the reaction was complete and the test tube had cooled down, they took it back and dumped the excess material out in the hazard bin before rinsing the test tube out and tossing in the trash like their teacher had instructed them to do. The inside was burnt and would probably never be useful again.

Kankri and Cronus both had wide smiles on their faces as they headed back to the front of the room to start on their lab report. When they turned it in , they received a perfect score.

This was the first A Cronus had gotten since he’d moved away.


	11. Study Session

As opening night drew closer and closer, Kankri found himself becoming more and more nervous. It was hard for him to keep his lunch down, or any food for that matter. He was really worried about messing up. He practiced his lines every night, even the nights that he had off from actual play practice.

It was a few weeks after Cronus and Kankri’s first lab together. Cronus was feeling the nerves as well, but he was hiding it better than Kankri. He turned to his cigarettes for comfort and relief from his nerves. He hid those from Kankri, too. If the albino boy found out, all hell would break loose and Cronus would never hear the end of it.

Both of the boys’ grades were dropping by the time the week before opening night came around. Kankri became very depressed about this fact, and turned to his new lab partner for help. Cronus wasn’t nearly as concerned, but he knew he needed to keep his grade up in order to participate in the play.

“Cronus,” Kankri started. “I know you don’t owe me any favors, and perhaps you are the wrong person to be asking this of, but, my grades are dropping and I’m not sure how to get them back up. I’m aware that you are in the same situation, so, perhaps studying together and tutoring each other would benefit the both of us.”

Cronus’s mind instantly went to their previous ‘study’ sessions from so long ago, and he smiled. God, he would do anything to have Kankri that close again, and be able to touch him and hug him and ki-

“Sure thing, Chief. Sounds like a plan. Your house, or mine?” He popped a piece of gum into his mouth as they headed down the hall to their next classes.

The question made Kankri pause for a second as he thought about different scenarios. Porrim would have his head if he brought Cronus into their house. It was also a little cramped for two people, let alone three being in the same room.

“Yours would be best, I believe.” Kankri answered, his voice a bit hesitant. He was entirely aware that Cronus may have taken the study session question as an opening back into their old ways. He didn’t want to assume anything about him, so he kept quiet. If Cronus tried to initiate anything, he would just tell him to stop. That would work, wouldn’t it?

“Okay, cool. Sounds good. When are we starting?”

“Tonight, obviously. I need to get my grade up before the play. I refuse to have someone replace me as Sandy.” Perhaps it was his pride in his part, or maybe, just maybe, he was a bit jealous and couldn’t stand the thought of someone else being that close to Cronus. No, that wasn’t it. He didn’t have any romantic feelings for Cronus. Strictly friends.

“Oh,” Cronus responded intelligently. “Uh, sure. I can drive you from practice if ya want.”

“That would be wonderful.” Kankri smiled a bit before turning and disappearing into his next class.

Cronus sighed as he watched him go. Maybe he and Kankri would go back to normal soon enough.

 

Kankri was exhausted after practice. He’d sung his heart out the entire practice, probably overdoing for something that wasn’t being recorded or watched by an actual audience. He should really save that for the actual show nights. Grateful for Cronus’s offer to drive him, he trudged after the taller boy to his car. He sat down in the passenger seat, sinking into the cushion and sighing happily, smiling a tiny bit. It was comfortable and warmer than the building, so he started to relax as soon as his butt hit the seat.

Cronus chuckled at his reaction as he started the car. He kept up light, careful conversation as they headed to his house. When they pulled up, Kankri bit his lip. It was huge, bigger than Kankri’s family could ever afford. His eyes were wide in awe as Cronus rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

“It’s, uh… It’s a bit much, I know,” he sighed. “My dad figured this was our new permanent home for at least ‘til I graduate, so he went all out.” He shrugged. “Ready?”

“Yes, I suppose,” he whispered as he climbed out of the car, shrugging his backpack on.

Cronus led him inside and took his shoes off at the door, motioning for Kankri to do the same. Cronus and Kankri headed up to his room.

Is that normal? For friends to go into each other’s rooms? Kankri couldn’t help but think it was a bit odd, but he kept his mouth shut. Perhaps Cronus was more comfortable doing his schoolwork in his room as opposed to the living room.

The boys dropped their backpacks on the bed, and Kankri sat down on the edge. He immediately pulled out his books and started going over his homework, attempting to work out what he was doing wrong. He was never sure what his math teacher wanted from him as far as work shown went.

Cronus watched him in slight disbelief for a minute before getting out his own book. Was Kankri really planning on studying, and not, well… He tried to keep his mind off of that subject as he started working on his homework. It was nearly impossible to concentrate with the center of his desires sitting right next to him. Wait, what?

I do NOT want him. He’s just a friend. I think…

Cronus shook his head and turned back to his work. Eventually, he had to ask how to do one of the problems. When Kankri leaned over to look at the question, he was the closest he’d ever been to him, outside of play practice. He couldn’t help but smile a little bit at this and lean forward a bit so their shoulders were brushing. He pointed out what he was having a problem with and attempted to figure out how to fix it, following Kankri’s instructions.

It didn’t work. He kept getting distracted by the way Kankri’s hair curled this way and swooped another way. He imagined himself reaching out to touch it, running his fingers through it and enjoying it silky softness.

“Cronus? What do you think you’re doing?”

It was then that Cronus realized he hadn’t just imagined himself touching Kankri. He really was, and his hand was buried in the white curls. The smaller boy was looking at him in shock and a bit of anger, but his eyes sparkled with a tiny bit of hope. Cronus caught that flash and smiled.

“I’m gettin’ my best friend back.” With that, Cronus pulled Kankri’s face to his and their lips met for the first time in years.

Cronus’s eyes closed at the feeling. It was better than with any of the girl’s he’d been with. His aversion to seeming gay was thrown out the window, replaced with his feelings for Kankri as they bubbled back to the surface.

Kankri was shocked to no end, overwhelmed with the feelings rushing through him. Anger, guilt, happiness, hurt, relaxation, confusion… He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to kiss him back. He didn’t want to break his vow. Wasn’t this part of it?

These thoughts and feelings flickered through the boys in the brief seconds that their lips touched. When Cronus pulled away, he stroked his finger across his cheek, looking into his eyes. “Kankri… I missed you.”

Kankri glared at him, his eyes tearing up.

“Cronus, you know about my vow! I told you!” He scrambled away from Cronus, where he’d nearly pulled himself into the taller boy’s lap without realizing it.

Cronus rolled his eyes and said, “I wasn’t having sex with ya, Kankri. Don’t yell at me like that. I know ya liked it.”

“Celibacy involves all sexual actions!”

“I kissed you. That’s all.” Cronus shrugged. “Really don’t think celibacy applies to kissin’.”

Kankri’s face was flame red. He really had enjoyed the kiss after so long of having no physical contact with anyone. Cronus was the reason he’d gone celibate, anyway. Was it such a crime to just kiss him?

“Well, you could have asked to do that first!”

“If I woulda asked, you woulda said no.” He shrugged, as if the answer seemed pretty obvious.

Kankri stared at him, floored by his actual use of logic. “It might have been more enjoyable for the both of us if you had asked, Cronus.” He crossed his arms, huffing a bit.

“Okay, fine.” Cronus crawled over to Kankri slowly, smiling a bit. He stopped inches away from his face. “May I kiss you, Kankri?”

Kankri swallowed hard and nodded hesitantly. He closed his eyes when their lips met, melting into the feeling. He leaned into it a bit. Cronus’s lips were rough, but they felt nice when they were pressed against his, moving so slowly. Kankri eventually relaxed enough to put his hands on Cronus’s shoulders. He hoped it was proper to do that while kissing.

Cronus was ecstatic about the kiss, even if it was slow.He was kissing the one person in the world he wanted to kiss most. Everything was back to normal in his eyes. Maybe Kankri would forgive him enough to trust him with even more. For now, he was satisfied with just kissing him, and getting to hold him again and feel that perfectly curly hair between his fingers and the way those soft lips moved with his, molding to them just right. They were such a perfect match.

Cronus hoped they would always be that perfect for each other.


End file.
